Prompt: Dear Love, what would you have me know about this year?
Inspiration from Elizabeth Gilbert.
Each Monday this month, I’m offering a prompt to encourage you to reflect on the (Gregorian calendar) year. If you think of a friend who might want to play along, would you please share this with them? And if you are that friend reading this now, I welcome you to subscribe so you get notified of the next one.
Dear Friend,
At present would you say you’re in love, falling in love, or soon to be in love with that very special someone we call You?
How is this relationship going? The one you have with Yourself.
Are you taking good care, putting in consistent time and effort?
Today, I invite you to nurture this love affair we call You.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert has a daily journaling practice she calls Letter From Love. Basically, every day she writes a letter to herself from Unconditional Love. She begins with the question, “Dear Love — What would you have me know today?” And then answers from that caring voice of Love found deep inside the human spirit.
Your prompt:
Write this in your journal: Dear Love — What would you have me know about this year?
Then free write for a page or so. From the voice of Love, write about the ways you worked hard to overcome some challenge, or put considerable effort into nourishing a relationship, or reached out for help, or accomplished something you’re genuinely proud of, or did something that felt scary. Ask Love to show you what you can celebrate about yourself this year, the things you worked hard on (internally and externally). Let Love be the voice and you be the scribe.
Don’t worry about making your prose poetic or grammatically sexy. Just reflect. Write some nice stuff down. If this feels too gushy or you find it confusing, please understand you’re simply writing a letter to yourself from that kind place inside you pointing out all the good and cool stuff you haven’t really taken time to notice and appreciate and celebrate and give yourself a little credit for this year because my god we are so hard on ourselves, aren’t we?
If you want more guidance, you can read Elizabeth Gilbert's instructions here.
If you like to be rebel against structure, then write however you please. Just be kind.
With Love, for Love, because of Love,
Ryan